Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Gov't considering buying RM3.8 bil weapons with gold reserves
Monday, May 09, 2005
Malaysia is considering a RM3.8 billion arms deal that calls for it to commit part of the country's gold reserves to help finance the purchase of warships and other defense equipment, a report said today. Under the deal, British defence contractor BAE Systems PLC would arrange financing for the arms purchases with a loan secured by gold certificates issued by the Malaysian government, the Asian Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the plan.
Other aspects of the BAE-initiated proposal, such as the tenure of the proposed loan and the specific details of the equipment Malaysia intends to purchase, have not been finalized, it said. A senior aide to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who also serves as defense minister, described the BAE plan as "an unsolicited proposal that is being looked at" by the government, the report said. "No decision has been taken and whatever purchase of defense equipment (Malaysia enters into) will take into consideration our financial position," the aide was quoted as saying.
A spokesman for BAE Systems in London acknowledged that the company is in discussions with the Malaysian government over its defense requirements, but declined to elaborate or to discuss the arms-financing proposal, the paper said. Malaysia, which has announced a major arms build-up in stages over the past few years, said last July that it had set aside an extra RM1.609 billion in 2004 for weapons purchases, including submarines, tanks and helicopters.
Najib said then that a large slice of the money - RM731.1 million - would go towards upgrading the Royal Malaysian Navy's power with Scorpene submarines, Fennec and Super Lynx helicopters and new patrol vessels. Another RM523.6 million was for the army, which would acquire main battle tanks and air defence systems, Najib said. Malaysia has already announced agreements to buy Russian fighter jets, French submarines, British and Russian missile systems and Polish attack tanks.
The naval upgrade comes against the background of increasing concern over the possibility of terrorism in the Malacca Straits, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world which funnels 50,000 vessels a year between the biggest economies of the West and the East. The narrow waterway slicing peninsular Malaysia from Indonesia's sprawling Sumatra island, a hunting ground for pirates from ancient times until today, carries a third of global trade and most of the oil needs of Japan, South Korea and China. Malaysia has denied that its weapons build-up could spark an arms race in the region, saying the purchases are simply designed to upgrade its defences and that it has no aggressive intentions. The source...
